The Solon Fire Department recently installed a new public access automated external defibrillator, or AED, in downtown Solon after generous donations from community members made the purchase possible. At the same time, the Solon Public Library ran a free hands only CPR, choking response, Narcan® administration, and AED awareness classes in partnership with Johnson County Ambulance Service (JCAS).
Together, the efforts are designed to improve survival rates by making both lifesaving equipment and training more readily available.
Solon Assistant Fire Chief Scott Wolfe said the new AED became possible after the department shared its need during the annual firefighters breakfast fundraiser.
“We put out literature at the firefighters breakfast that we were in need for a new defibrillator,” Wolfe said. “They saw what our need was and ended up donating the money, and we were able to buy a new defibrillator.”
Tom and Linda Gross made the lead donation after learning about the department’s need. Wolfe said Linda’s father served as a battalion chief with the New York City Fire Department, making the project especially meaningful to the family.
Additional donations from community members exceeded the amount needed for the replacement unit, allowing the department to purchase another AED.
“In this day and age, budget requests are so tight that we’re sometimes unable to get equipment that we need,” Wolfe said. “We’ll do something like that as a fundraiser.”
Wolfe said the department is continually reminded of the community’s support, and is grateful for all that the community does for the department.
“If we need something and we send something out looking for help, we always get it from the people in our fire district,” Wolfe said. “It’s truly unbelievable.”
The new AED is housed in a bright yellow public access defibrillator cabinet on Main Street near the bandstand, directly across from Buff’s (208 E. Main St.). During a cardiac emergency, anyone can call 911, and emergency dispatchers will provide the means to unlock the cabinet so the AED can be retrieved before first responders arrive.
The department also oversees another public access AED in the uptown area, while the City of Solon maintains an additional unit at the Solon Recreation and Nature Area (SRNA). Wolfe said getting an AED to a patient quickly can dramatically improve survival.
“Early CPR and early defibrillation is what saves lives in a cardiac event,” he said. “Anytime we can get a defibrillator out in the public close to somebody that’s in arrest, the better chance they have for survival.”
He hopes people won’t be intimidated by using an AED if the need ever arises.
“It’s so simple,” Wolfe said. “You open the box, and the box talks to you. It walks you right through what you need to do. All you have to do is listen to it.”
He said even his eight year old granddaughter was able to follow the instructions during practice.
Modern AEDs analyze a person’s heart rhythm automatically and only deliver a shock when one is medically appropriate. If no shock is advised, the device instructs users to continue CPR until it reassesses the patient.
Wolfe also encouraged residents to download the free PulsePoint® app, which alerts CPR trained volunteers when someone nearby is experiencing a cardiac arrest and identifies the nearest public access AED.
While the fire department is expanding access to lifesaving equipment, the Solon Public Library is helping residents build the confidence to use it.
Sixteen people attended the library’s first free community CPR program Wednesday, July 8. Participants learned hands only CPR, choking response, Narcan® administration, and how to use an AED through instruction provided by JCAS personnel.
Librarian Mykle Clark said the idea grew out of a desire to offer practical programs that directly benefit the community.
“It’s an issue everywhere in America, but it’s also an issue in Iowa,” Clark said. “People over 40 are experiencing adverse health effects at earlier and earlier ages.
The library plans to continue expanding its health education offerings. The library recently partnered with JCAS to offer a CPR practice kit that patrons will soon be able to check out and use at home.
The CPR class also complements the library’s ongoing Libraries with Heart initiative, which provides blood pressure monitoring resources and promotes heart health awareness.
“It’s all going in the same vein of, ‘Let’s keep our community happy, healthy and thriving,'” Clark said.
For Wolfe, the combination of accessible AEDs and trained community members is exactly what improves outcomes.
“When somebody’s heart stops, every minute matters,” he said. “The more people who know CPR and the more accessible these defibrillators are, the better chance someone has of going home to their family.”